Hermione's Secret Summer
by angelbreaker
Summary: Ron desperately missed his love, Hermione, all summer, and is depressed when she is late to meet him. When she does arrive at the train, she seems distant, and it is not soon before he finds out a shocking secret. The question is, why did she do it?
1. Default Chapter

The scarlet steam engine puffed grey clouds into the sky, sounding a loud whistle. Students of all ages were frantically storing their trunks and saying goodbye to loved ones, the train was about to depart any second. There were forty or so eleven-year-olds crying as they clung to their mothers, being separated from their parents for the first time. Owls hooted overhead, cats clawed their way through underfoot, and the noise almost drowned out the engines departing warnings.

Just one person stood still. A red haired boy of about seventeen. His bag was stored, his parents were gone, and he tapped his foot impatiently on the platform as he waited.

A black haired boy stuck his head out from the compartment window and called to the individual.

"Ron, she's probably already on the train, looking for us, we're going soon, so get in!"

"Harry, I told her we'd meet here, and we are going to meet here!" He pointed to the floor beneath his feet, before crossing his arms again. "God damn it, I see Malfoy's mother hasn't killed him yet." He said as an arrogant looking blonde swaggered through the barrier and ordered his servant to stow his trunk. With a smirk at Ron, he then disappeared into a compartment a little way up.

"Look, Ron, they're shutting all the doors!" Harry beckoned him in.

"Where is she?" As if on cue, a small, bushy haired teenager came bounding towards them, a bandy-legged cat in hot pursuit. They came to a stop at the spot where they were to meet the others and the girl gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry I'm late, It's been crazy."

"That's alright Hermione. I was just worried you'd missed the train." He passed her trunk up to Harry, who stowed it with theirs, then slid his arm around her waist, helping her up the step until they were both inside the train. A few seconds after all three of them had settled into their seats, the train started moving.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Ron asked as she yawned for the millionth time. He reached out to put his arm around his girlfriend.

"Dandy." She yawned again and leaned against the window, not noticing Ron's attempt to embrace her. "Just tired I guess."

"Where've you been all summer? I haven't seen or spoken to you in weeks."

Hermione sighed, "Oh, you know, busy all the time, hardly had a moment to myself."

"I've missed you so much, what have you been doing?" He looked at her, but she kept her gaze out the window.

"My parents sent me to America for a month," she said distractedly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry, who up until this had been silent, facing them, leant forward.

"I didn't have the means too, I went travelling with my Aunt and Uncle, who are both muggles and don't know about magic, so I couldn't find a wizarding post office to owl you. I think we all know how bad it is to try and contact either of you the muggle way."

"Yeah, maybe." He leant back again with a puzzled expression on his face. The compartment fell into silence again.

They were still sitting in silence for ten minutes. Harry ached to say something, ask Ron how he'd summer had been, but the mood that was surrounding Hermione seemed to suck up all sounds and potential sounds. Try as he might, he couldn't form a sentence in his head that would come out his mouth.

The arrival of the witch with the cart broke the silence for a little while. Harry bought most of the cart so that they could busy themselves eating, therefore having an actual excuse not to talk.

When half the food had been depleted, he got annoyed. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione jumped at the sudden sound and he could almost see her come crashing into the present. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?" He repeated patiently.

She looked at him oddly for a second, then laughed. "Sorry, I was spacing."

"What were you thinking about?" Ron said with a mouth full of pasty.

"Stuff." She said and sighed, lightly bouncing her head on the window.

The minutes ticked by and all sound dried from Harry's throat, like water into a sponge, until it had expanded so much that he felt he could hardly breathe in the rigid, tense air.

Then the door slid open, three pairs of blank eyes turned to see the blonde who had just strutted in. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Malfoy drawled. "Are you all so stupid that holding a conversation is too much like hard work? Or has the weight of your own incompetence shocked you all into silence?"

"Eat dung, Malfoy." Ron growled, Malfoy just smirked.

"Still the same old childish insults I see. I would have thought you would have grown up and found better things to do in your spare time." His eyes slid round to Hermione, who stared solidly back. "Or maybe you keep those to yourself, your dirty little secrets." Ron's face grew redder and Malfoy's smirk got wider, but Hermione merely stood and glared at him.

"We all have our dirty little secrets, I'm sure if even some of them came out it could, oh, say, ruin a reputation of a high standing Slytherin? We couldn't have that." Malfoy looked at her with an odd expressionand nodded.

"Fine, whatever, I merely came in here to inform you that a prefect meeting is going on." He turned to Harry. "Truly sorry, but that counts you out, maybe you can sit here and read up on yourself in witch weekly?" He turned and left.

"What the hell was that?" Ron turned to Hermione, grinning. "Have you got some dirt that will ruin Malfoy's reputation?" His eyes shut in bliss. "Please, go on."

"Oh, shut up, Ron." Hermione snapped irritably, "Where would I get some of Malfoy's dirt?" Ron sighed.

"True." Then he looped his arm around her shoulders. "Well, prefect duties call."

"Sorry, Harry, but we have to go." Hermione looked sympathetically at the boy.

"Just go," it was his turn to be irritable, were they going to be sympathetic about their prefectship all their lives? The others left him to his thoughts.

That evening, they all filed off the carriages and into the great hall. Hermione seemed to have perked up a bit during the train journey, and was chattering away about her trip to America, Ron listening avidly. It seemed she had gone all over the place, from Texas to New York. The place she most enjoyed, strangely, was Las Vegas.

"It was so weird," she said to Ron. "It was surreal, flashing neon lights everywhere, and so many casinos you don't know where to look. I've read about the place in books of course, but it was just too unreal." After this short and strange statement, she fell into silence.

This was because the new students were filing into the hall, clinging together as if they were facing the electric chair. When an old, three-legged stool was placed infront of them, they looked at it suspiciously.

McGonagall rattled off the names and they were sorted in the usual way, but one name struck a chord with everyone's favourite Gryffindors. "Malfoy, Helena." To this name a little girl with platinum curls stepped forward and sat on the stool. She had a wide-eyed innocence that made her look about three years old and as un-Malfoyish as it was possible to be. She bit her lip as the hat was placed on her head, as it called out Slytherin, the girl hopped off the stool and went to sit by her relation, who gave her something close to a smile.

"Malfoy has a sister?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't he have?" Hermione asked calmly.

"I always pegged him as the only child sort. And remember Sirius' family tree? She wasn't on there…"

Hermione shrugged and cut herself a piece of freshly appeared pie, "maybe it's his cousin then." They all looked to the little girl sitting next to their arch-nemesis. She looked as if she should be in Hufflepuff with those curls, but there she was, making conversation with a very smiley Pansy. Weird.

Dumbledore rose as the desserts vanished and the whole school went into silence. "Now, it has become tradition to introduce the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher at this time. We were all much grieved at Professor Gandhi's courageous sacrifice to help vanquish Voldemort last year. We owe much to him." His eyes lingered on Harry for a second, Harry's eyes stung. Professor Gandhi had died saving him from the death eaters at the end of last term. After helping him find Voldemort and defeat him, the grief-stricken group caught the two; Harry had only just escaped. "But dwelling on the past is useless. Let me introduce you to Professor DuBois."

A young woman stood up, she wore grey robes and her blonde hair was slicked back into a bun. She wore black glasses and looked like she should be working as a muggle secretary. She nodded once to the polite applause and sat down again, not saying a word.

The next day, Hermione, Harry and Ron sat around the breakfast table and discussed the new teacher and the other Malfoy. "I bet it's his secret sister that his dad has been hiding from the world because he's ashamed of her."

"Ron, it's his cousin." Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"How do you know?" Ron glared at her.

"Never mind." Ron grinned and took her hands, she gave him a small smile in return and turned back to her breakfast.

"What do you think of the new DADA teacher?" Harry interjected.

"I dunno, she looks bossy, I feel that we aren't going to have any time off in class this year."

"It will do you good to do some work for once; you may even improve your grades." Hermione glared back at him.

"Improve my grade! In DADA? I don't need to, remember Professor Gandhi said…" Ron trailed off and glanced at Harry. "Sorry."

Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it, we can't go about feeling uncomfortable about talking about him, he'd hate that."

"Yeah." In the short silence that followed, the great doors opened and Helena Malfoy walked in. She looked about the tables, looking for someone, when her eyes fell on Hermione. She waved and gave her a small smile, before running along the hall and seating herself next to Blaise Zambini, who high-fived her and passed her the muffins.

"You KNOW her?" Ron turned to her, astonished.

"A little," Hermione said, waving her hand dismissively.

"How?" Harry asked.

"I met her, quite strange really." She refused to say anything else about it, and finally, the boys gave up.

The timetables came around, and the first lesson was DADA, with Ravenclaw. Every one was discussing the new teacher, knowing full well what happened last time a woman took the class. They all filed into the classroom and took their seats. Hermione, Harry and Ron sat at the back of the classroom and discussed what they thought this teacher had to hide.

"I think you two are being a little unfair to Professor DuBois. She may be perfectly normal."

"Come on, Hermione! Quirrel was possessed by You-Know-Who, Lockhart was a fake, Lupin was a werewolf, Moody wasn't Moody at all, Umbridge was a power freak and Gandhi's real last name was Riddle! I'm beginning to see a pattern…" Ron said sarcastically.

"True, all our DADA teachers haven't been what you would call normal…" a snort from Harry seconded this. "But that doesn't mean Professor DuBois isn't!"

Ron couldn't answer because chat was cut short as the teacher strode into the room. "Right," she said not even looking up at the class but down at her notes. "We will start with the register. Please raise your hand as I call your name, so that I can remember it."

She began to call out everyone's surnames and in turn everyone raised their hands. Each time she raised her head from the list to inspect the face of the student, matching the name and face.

It all went smoothly until she called out, "Malfoy." There was a confused silence. Harry raised his hand. When the teacher raised her head to see the student that matched the name, she frowned. "You can't pull that one, I think everyone in this room, and indeed the wizarding world, knows that your last name is Potter."

"No, professor, it's just that Malfoy isn't in this group." The familiar feeling of heat rose in his cheeks, but he ignored it.

"Oh no?" She glanced down at the paper. "This is Gryffindor and Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, but Malfoy is in Slytherin." He looked round the room for confirmation. Everyone nodded, Ron smiled at him, and Hermione stared at the floor with a very thoughtful expression.

"Well, it says here that Malfoy is in this class." Her mouth twitched into an angry frown. "Which one of you is Malfoy?"

"Ma'am, really, Draco Malfoy isn't in this group."

"I know Draco Malfoy isn't, I wish to know which one of you is Hermione Malfoy."

A shocked silence hit the room and everyone turned to the bushy haired teenager, who had paled and was slowly raising her hand.


	2. Chapter Two

Wow, 9 reviews already, cool. Here's another chapter, mainly because I have so many stories to post/update, I thought I'd better get this one out of the way. not a lot happens, but meh.

Chapter Two

"HERMIONE!" Ron screamed, standing up, his chair hitting the floor with a thud.

"Sit down!" The teacher snapped. "Why are you making such a commotion? I would have thought that you would know your classmates last name by now." Ron remained standing and crossed his arms.

"Explain." His voice was mostly calm, but there was a slight tremor of anger on the edges of it.

"Explain what?" Hermione said quietly.

"WHY THE HELL YOU'VE SUDDENLY AQUIRED MALFOY'S NAME!"

"Sit down and be quiet before I give you a detention!" The teacher stood infront of him and glared. "I'm sure you and this Draco are brother and sister?"

"No, not really."

"Cousins then." The teacher nodded uninterestedly and returned to the front of the class. "Now, sit down and discuss it after class or I will talk to Professor Dumbledore about disciplinary actions." Ron sat down and stared at Hermione, who remained silent, not knowing what to say. As the teacher returned calmly to the register, but the air couldn't be cut with a chainsaw.

Ron stared at his girlfriend, trying to sort out all the possible reasons why she would have changed names… a practical joke, she found out she was distantly and unimportantly related to him, tax reasons… his face got redder and redder as he watched her staring at the table. By the time Professor DuBois got to his name, the last, he was close to tears. But he forced himself to raise his hand and stay in his seat. There was a reason, getting angry will just start a pointless fight; she had a perfectly reasonable reason why she was now a Malfoy…

Slam. He couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and upturned not only his chair but the table as well, scattering his, Hermione's and Harry's things all over the floor.

"Mr Weasley! I do not tolerate this behaviour in my class! You have not been in here for ten minutes and you have disrupted the lesson twice!"

"Sorry, but I need to talk to Miss Malfoy." He grabbed Hermione's wrist painfully and dragged her out into the corridor,

"Well?" Ron glared at her; Hermione stared at the floor, and then started laughing. "What?"

"You want to talk to Miss Malfoy? She's probably having her induction lesson. She's in Slytherin so you'll find her in Snape's room."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ron stepped back in the confusion, and then shook his head. "I don't care about Helena. I want to talk to you."

Hermione was still laughing, hysterical, mirthless laughter. "But I'm not Miss Malfoy. I'm Mrs Malfoy." The blow hit Ron full in the stomach and he sank to the floor. The fantasy that she had to change her name to escape an axe murderer bent on destroying her and the only name she could think of was Malfoy's shattered.

"But why?" Ron stared at the floor, still kneeling. Hermione leant against the wall.

"It's complicated."

"I have the time." He stared up at her face. "How could you do this? Malfoy? How could you-"

"Like I said it's complicated."

"Do you love him?" Hermione fell silent, tears slid off her face. "I thought you loved me!" Ron stood and touched her cheek. "Isn't that what you said when we said goodbye six weeks ago? Weren't we going out? Or was that my imagination."

"We did go out."

"So why did you marry Malfoy? I just can't believe it!" He shut his eyes, preparing himself for the ultimate truth. When he opened them, he was looking at Hermione's chocolate eyes looking at him tearfully; he slid his eyes down her left arm slowly, finally looking at her ring finger. "Ha!" He cried triumphantly. "No ring."

Hermione nodded. "So you aren't married after all. Geez, Hermione, that wasn't funny, how did you get the teacher in on it like that?" He shook his head, and then wiped his tears, letting out a relieved laugh. "You really got me, I should have guessed, marrying Malfoy, I should have known that you wouldn't have done that to me, it would have destroyed me." He stepped forward and kissed her. "We should get back to class before we get in serious trouble." He took her arm and walked forward, but Hermione stayed where she was. "Hermione?" Only then did he notice that the tears were still free falling down her face. "What is it?"

She reached into her robes and brought out the chain that was around her neck. On it were a beautiful diamond ring and a simple gold band. "Wearing them on my finger would have been too obvious." The wind was once again knocked out of Ron. Hermione stepped forward to hug him, but he sidestepped her. "I'm so sorry," her face soaked. Ron stayed silent, staring at her in an expression of horror, shock and desolation. "I-" but words failed her; she looked at him for another few seconds, than fled down the corridor.

The news of the marriage spread like wildfire around the school, although no one could even imagine why these two self-professed enemies had suddenly tied the knot. Hermione went missing after her talking with Ron, not turning up to any of her classes or for lunch.

That evening, Ron banged his head on the table, his food untouched. "Why, Harry? Why? She hated him more than we did! He calls her Mudblood! Why did she marry him?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should go and find her."

"No, I never want to see her again! Not only did she cheat on me, she cheated on me with my worst enemy, and then she married him!"

"So, that's it? You're never going to talk to her again. She's out of your life forever?"

"Yes. No. I don't know! I'm so confused." The whole school was talking about the marriage, which didn't improve Ron's mood. All of a sudden the hall went silent, and Ron heard Harry's sharp intake of breath beside him. He raised his head and saw that everyone was looking at the entrance. Turning his head, he saw Hermione, red eyed and pale, standing in the doorway. He looked towards Malfoy, and saw he was watching Hermione with an odd expression. When he moved his left hand to run his fingers through his hair, Ron saw the glint of a gold ring on his finger.

The next thing Hermione knew, she was descended on by a mob of girls, all asking her whether it was true, what was the wedding like, could they see the rings. She looked around the room, her hand to her throat, clutching the rings protectively.

Malfoy stood and strode over to the crowd, pushing his way through to Hermione, and then taking her other hand. All the questions ceased as he held up his hand.

"Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy, the other half of this freak show. I'd appreciate it if you would leave my wife alone. If you didn't get the memo, she's a Malfoy now and every knows what happens if you piss one of us off." When he was satisfied that no one else had anything to say, he nodded. "We'll be leaving now." He looked down at Hermione, who smiled up and him and mouthed a 'thank you' before he led her from the hall by the hand.

"That was strange." Lavender said from Ron's other side. "What the hell is happening?"

"I don't know." Ron stared at the spot where Malfoy made his little speech. "But I'm going to find out."


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Meep!

Sorry I haven't been updating for coughs almost a year ((shudders))

I've been doing my A levels, which I can tell you AREN'T FUN (to all Americans, it's the tests you take when you're 16/17/18. I'm just coming out of the end of mine, but all my exams are coming up!)

Anyway, here's chapter Three of this story,

Chapter Three 

As soon as Malfoy had led Hermione to a safe enough distance from the rest of the school, he dropped her hand, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Hermione stood slightly behind him, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"Thank you," was all she had come up with to say after a few minutes silence.

"Don't mention it," Malfoy replied, half-smiling to the wall. He turned to face her, fingering his wedding band. "It was my fault after all."

"Well, sort of." Their eyes met and she looked away, embarrassed. Needing something to do, she reached back into her robes and fished out the chain that held her precious rings. "I suppose I better put these back on," she unhooked the chain, the rings falling out onto her hand. "I thought the secret would last a little longer than it did."

"You can't keep anything a secret here." She smiled at him and went to put on her rings. "Let me." He stepped forward and she looked at him, surprised. He laughed. "It is my job, isn't it?"

With a little embarrassed giggle she nodded, handing him the rings and holding out her left hand. He quickly slipped the diamond ring on and then the golden band, before kissing her hand and letting it fall to her side.

"It's funny," Hermione raised her hand to her face to inspect it. "But my hand felt all wrong without them." She saw him looking at her intensely and she dropped her hand, letting it fall back to her side. "I see you never took yours off."

"Why would I?" He asked, not breaking his stare. Silence reigned once again, until the heat rose into Hermione's cheeks at his staring.

"I think I need to lie down."

"What a fantastic idea." Malfoy's eyes lit up and he offered his arm.

"No." She said bluntly, but took his arm.

"Fine, I'll just walk you to the illustrious Gryfindor tower." They walked in silence each was looking to the other side of the corridor. When they finally got there, they stopped and looked at each other. An awkward moment followed, where they looked into each other's eyes. Malfoy slowly closed the gap between them when an excited shout came from the end of the corridor.

"Oh my god! There they are." The two looked at the speakers and saw a sixteen year old Ginny and Parvati Patil coming down the corridor. Hermione looked back at Malfoy who looked at her quizzically and she shook her head.

"Just go," he nodded, kissing her rings, and then left amid the sighs of the two other Gryfindors.

"So, go on then," prompted the red head, after watching the blonde out of sight. "Tell us."

"There really is nothing to tell." Concluded Hermione, to which her friends scoffed.

"Nothing, except your marriage!" Parvati exclaimed.

"True." With that, Hermione gave the password and went into Gryfindor tower, moving through the empty common room and up the stairs to her bedroom. The others followed her.

"So?" The breathless Ginny panted.

"So what?" Hermione sat herself on her bed and rooted in her drawers, until she found a quill, took up a piece of parchment, and proceeded to draw random lines, doodling with a faint half smile.

Ginny flopped beside her on the bed with a frustrated noise and shook her friend. "You can be exasperating sometimes, Miss Granger!"

"Miss Granger?" The pen stopped and the girl raised an eyebrow at her. "The second time my name has to be corrected. I am Mrs Malfoy, remember?"

Ginny held her hand to her mouth and giggled. "Slip of the tongue."

"You're veering off subject. What of this marriage?" Parvati glared at her.

"There really is nothing to tell."

"How can that be true? You leave for the summer his sworn enemy and come back his sworn love!"

"His wife, not sworn love, his wife." Hermione corrected reproachfully.

"His wife then, but wait, you do not love him? There is surely more than nothing to tell of this."

"It may be so." To this the petite girl resumed her scribbling. The younger red head pulled the quill from her hand and held it high above her head.

"So tell! How did this come about? How did he propose? You cannot say he did not, I see the ring as clearly as I see the finger it is on!"

Hermione sighed, and laid the parchment on the cover beside her. "Yes, he did propose. It is plain I denied him not, and we were married, there, no more to say on the matter." She grabbed the quill from the unsuspecting Ginny, and then took up the parchment once more.

"Oh, how can you say in so many words nothing! It would be impossible for anyone but anyone with your wit!" Parvati flopped on her own bed, next to Hermione's facing the girls.

"I apologise for your curiosity, but I am done with my story."

"Where did you marry? What was the dress like? Why did he propose?" Ginny prompted.

"Those are my secrets; ask Draco if you wish to know, I'm sure he will fill in the details."

"We cannot talk to him! He may be your love, but I'm sure he detests us as much as if we were old Godric and he Salzaar!"

"Then, let your questions die with you, far into the future, but unanswered." With this concluding statement, Hermione stood, put both quill and newly finished drawing, in her dresser, before entering the bathroom.

The girls once again took to following her. "C'mon, Hermione, please?"

"What?" She asked. Ginny shut her eyes in personal torment.

"Why are you doing this to us? I would have thought you would have at least given us an answer! We are your best friends, barring Harry and my brother of course." Hermione stopped washing the ink from her hands and looked at her rings sadly.

"I'm afraid that it is barring no one, Ron and Harry seem to not care anymore."

"That's not true." Parvati interjected. "They care, I know they do, they are just angry and confused. Give them time to adjust."

"You did not need time to adjust." She flashed a smile at her friends. "Indeed the news had not been out for twenty four hours and you are already following me around like puppies."

"Not true." Ginny crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. Then shook her head. "Stop it! Tell us!"

"What would you like to know?" Hermione leaned resignedly on the sink. Ginny thought for a second.

"Do you love him?" Hermione let her head fall, so her hair covered her face and sighed.

"That is a complicated question."

"Okay, does he love you?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know? You married him, did you not! You must know SOMETHING!" Ginny sat on the closed toilet lid.

"Funny that." Hermione turned again and inspected her face in the mirror above the sink.

"So what made you marry him?" Parvati asked. "If you're not sure whether you like him and if he really likes you."

"I can't really say." Hermione answered vaguely.

"Were you drunk?" Ginny received a glare for this question.

"Certainly not." A very put out Hermione strolled back into the bedroom, followed by the two exasperated girls. "Do you think I would do such a thing?"

"Then WHY?" Parvati asked. Hermione smiled to herself, and lay down on the bed.

"I think I want to keep that information to myself for a while." Finally giving up, the pair exchange looks. When it became apparent that wherever Hermione was, it wasn't in the seventh year girl's dormitory of Hogwarts, they left to relate the tiny amount of news they had extracted from her to the other girls.


	4. Chapter 4

Oops…I'm not very good, am I? I dedicate this chapter to Emily, because she keeps pestering me to update and has finally driven me back in fanfiction's arms, where I hope to stay for a while, and at least finish these stories I have posted and perhaps post some new ones as well. I've added in what happened over the summer a little earlier than I was just because I'm really sorry for how long it's been.

Chapter Four 

Ron paced the corridor; a fed up Harry sat on the floor.

"Can't we just go to the common room?"

"No! Hermione might be there!"

"To the library then,"

"She could also be there!" Harry let out a frustrated sigh and stood up.

"Fine, you stay here, I'm going to the common room." He set off, but Ron grabbing his arm hindered this.

"What if you meet up with Hermione?" His accusing glare bore down on Harry,

"I will say 'hi, Hermione, how are you?'" Ron's face fell.

"You don't care? You don't care that she's a Malfoy now? That's she was cheating on me?"

"I do care that's she's a Malfoy, but she's still Hermione!"

"Maybe, maybe not." Ron let go of Harry's arm and crossed his across his chest. "My Hermione wouldn't have married the Slytherin Slimeball. My Hermione would have never done that to me."

"There must be a reason why she had such a lapse of sanity. Didn't she say anything?"

"She said it was complicated." Hot tears stung Ron's face and he glared at the floor. "It's obvious, though."

"What?" Harry gave him a quizzical look. "What's obvious?"

"Why she married him, it about money and power. Malfoy's powerful; I can hardly brew a potion. Malfoy's rich and I have hardly a Knut to my name." A tear leaked from the inferno behind his eyes and ran back his cheek. "I'm not good enough for her."

"Don't be ridiculous. She'd never dump you for someone with more money. Especially not Malfoy, she hates him as much as we do. More even."

"Oh no?" Ron turned his glare on Harry. "Then she suddenly had a change of heart. She thought 'he tormented me for six years, but hey! Let's marry him.' Of course she did."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Ron thought for a moment. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this; I'm going to find out what Malfoy did to her. Then I'm going to figure out how to get my Hermione back."

Hermione stood and looked at herself in the girl's toilets at break, staring at herself in the mirror. She was so lost in thought that at first she did not notice the ghost of a girl remove herself from a tap and stare accusingly at her left hand.

"I thought they were lying to me like they usually do! You got married!" Myrtle glared at the girl, who merely looked at, or through, depending on your point of view, the ghost and turned slowly to leave. "Don't you turn your back on me! Come here!" Myrtle rushed her, but managed to fly through her and hit the wall (don't ask me). Hermione left amid her wails.

"I must get away from everyone, trying to make me tell my secrets!" She scouted around for a peaceful spot, but only found whispers, even in the library. Finally, she left the castle and stepped out into the cold September air, pulling her cloak around her. The wind whipped at her face and her hair. Heading for the lake, she dropped her bag on the floor and threw herself down next to it. Hugging her knees she stared out into the lake, her mind drifting back to the summer…

_Hermione stared apprehensively as the plane touch landed in Las Vegas. Neon lights made the city glow all colours. It seemed unreal, unnatural. She was hit once again by how bright it was when she stepped out of the airport. Her Uncle flagged down a taxi, and they all piled in, going to the hotel they were staying in._

_It was a five star hotel, as had been all the other hotels. Her relatives seemed to want to spoil her, and who was she to complain? This was one was called The Cage, and was positioned right in the middle of a whole load of casinos. Hermione smiled as she got out of the car and a porter ran up to collect their luggage…_

Hermione woke from her revelling as someone sat down beside her. From their silence she knew who it was without looking, so she didn't, but slipped her hand into his.

"What am I going to do, Draco?" She heard him sigh next to her.

"No idea, I'm still trying to work it out myself." She looked over at him, and saw he was staring out into the lake.

"I wish I could've told Ron myself." Draco nodded. "I mean, I can only guess what this is doing to him." She lay down, and stared at the cloud above. "His girlfriend of one year, friend before that for five, turning up married to someone he's hated for six years." She looked up at Draco, who then lay down next to her, lying on his side, propping his head up with his arm. "I don't know if he'll ever talk to me again." Tears fell down her face, and Draco wiped them away.

"How did we get into this mess? I mean, what were we thinking?" He took her left hand with his free one and ran his thumb over the golden ring.

"Not very much as I recall." She smiled and he grinned back. As one, their smiles left their faces, and Draco's eyes drifted to his wife's lips. Inching closer, they were almost touching when the excited squeal sounded and a Ravenclaw fifth year fell out of a nearby tree. Face scarlet, she picked herself up and ran all the way back to the castle, her friend jumped down after her and followed. Hermione sighed. "Is no where safe?" She said glumly. Draco, who had been watching the girls' progress, looked back at her.

"Come on," he picked himself up off the ground. "We've got Potions now, that'll be fun." He held out his hand and helped her up. They walked back to the castle together.

All talk ceased as the couple entered the dungeon corridor outside Snape's classroom. All eyes were on the pair. Hermione felt her face going red as she stood there, hand in hand with Draco. Pansy scowled as she approached them.

"So, how did you do it, Granger?" She asked cuttingly. "What spell did you use to make a respectable Slytherin marry someone like you? It doesn't improve your image, it just makes you even more desperate then we thought you were." She indicated to Ron, who was glaring at the wall in front of him. "You were scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one, but you didn't have to go to such extreme measures to get rid of him, you filthy little Mudblood."

Draco stepped forward, wand out, furious with his fellow Slytherin. Hermione held him back, and replied, "I'm sorry, you must be thinking of someone else, my name isn't Granger anymore. It's Malfoy." Pansy let out a shriek of anger and grabbed Hermione's hair. Once Hermione yelped, she kicked her in the leg, and Hermione crumpled to the floor. Draco stepped forward, his wand out and pointing at Pansy.

"Do that again and I will kill you." He snarled. "Let her go." Pansy snorted.

"Why should I?" She turned her glare towards him. "It's for your own good Draco." She bent down to Hermione ear and snarled. "She doesn't deserve you."

"_Calibres_" A shot of green light hit Pansy and she let go of Hermione's hair, falling to the floor with a blank look. Hermione's eyes were watering as she was helped to her feet by her husband who wrapped his arms around her. "Hermione is my wife, and I won't have anyone treating her like that."

Hermione glanced at Ron, who was looking as if he was about to punch something. Just then, Snape came out of his office and looked at the scene. Pansy was still lifeless on the floor, Hermione, who could hardly stand from the pain in her leg, was leaning on Draco.

"What's happened here?" He snapped. Without waiting for an answer, he shook his head. "Zambini, kindly take Parkinson to the hospital wing." Then he looked round at Hermione, her leg was swollen. "Granger," he grinned nastily. "I mean _Malfoy, _go to the hospital wing as well, and hurry back."

"She can't walk." Draco piped up. Snape snarled.

"Well, then, Brown, go with her." Lavender nodded and took hold of Hermione's arm, helping her hobble up the corridor, after Blaise, who was carrying Pansy in his arms.

When Hermione turned up to the lesson half an hour later, her leg fixed, she entered the room to find her place next to Ron empty. She was tempted to sit there and try to explain why she did what she did, but he was obstinately glaring in the other direction, so she stalked off to the back, where her husband had kept her a place.

"He can't stay mad at you forever." Draco picked up on her mood. Hermione had noticed how in tune with her he always seemed to be, and was grateful for it.

"Yes he can, it's the one thing he's really good at." Draco ran his hand up her arm comfortingly.

"Will the Malfoys please stop fondling each other and get back to work?" Snape sneered, causing Draco to glare at him and Ron to add too much toad sweat to his potion. Large amounts of green smoke issued from his potion. Snape shook his head. "Another zero, Weasley. _Evansco."_ The cauldron emptied, and Ron packed his things quickly and left the classroom as rapidly as he could. Hermione sighed.

"He will come around soon." Draco told her, as Hermione quickly laid out her ingredients.

"He won't." Hermione told her husband. "He'll probably never talk to me again." She sighed. Draco touched her arm, looking concerned, but with a glance at the glaring teacher he turned back to his work.

That evening, Hermione arrived back in the common room late, and Ron immediately slinked off to his room. She coughed delicately and everyone just stared at her. Harry moved over on his seat and she sat next to him.

"How are you?" He asked, a little awkwardly.

"All the better for talking to you." She said, smiling at him. "Everyone hates me."

"No, they're all pretty confused." He told her. "I have to tell you, I am too."

"I know." Hermione sighed.

"Do you love him?" Harry asked, forcing eye contact.

"I'm not sure." She admitted. "I think so, it's just…"

"I see." Harry said.

"I don't think you do." Hermione shook her head. Harry nodded.

"You're right I don't. Hermione, it's Malfoy we're talking about here." He emphasised his enemy's name. Hermione sighed.

"It's Malfoy you're talking to as well." She reminded him, playing with the rings on her fingers. "Look, Harry, I'm gonna go, because you obviously feel pretty uncomfortable with me at the moment." He said nothing and she stood, leaving the common room once more.

She wrapped her cloak around her as she reached the top of the astrology tower. It was bitterly cold up here, but she tried it ignore it as she slumped against the wall and sighed. Her memories took her over once more.

_The restaurant was pricey and extravagant. Hermione smiled as the waiter pulled out the chair for her to sit. Once she had done so he pushed the chair in and went away. Her Aunt and Uncle smiled at her._

_"We're meeting some old friends, here Hermione. A bit of a surprise for you. They're coming with us around America, they have a son about your age, charming lad, and I think their niece is coming too." Her Aunt told her, and Hermione smiled._

_"Here they are!" Her Uncle exclaimed, and Hermione looked around and straight into the eyes of…_

Draco coughed as he stood in the doorway, and Hermione looked her with tear filled eyes. He smiled sheepishly and sat down next to her, drawing her into his warm arms.

"I thought I might find you up here." He said. "He's still not talking to you."

"No." Hermione said, and she sighed. "I hurt him so much." She told him, and Draco kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I know, love." He said, and she looked at him, and he shrugged. "He will have to get used to it, Hermione, there is nothing he can do. You and I are married, and that's not going to change." She picked up his left hand and played with his golden band. Draco had noticed her doing that over the last few weeks when she was nervous or upset. "I will always be there for you, 'Mione." He told her.

"I know." She said, looking up at him. He placed the softest kiss on her lips, and she smiled. He grinned and kissed her again, a little more. "What are you doing up here, your friends aren't doing the same thing are they?" Draco sighed, and gripped her left hand possessively.

"No, well, things in Slytherin common room aren't exactly warm, but none of them have declared war on me yet." Hermione nodded. "It's nice up here." He said, as he felt her relax into him again. "A bit cold, but private."

"Yes." Hermione said. "I love it up here."

"I know." Draco grinned at her. "You love the stars." He looked up at the sky and was silent for a moment.

"I do." She agreed, and he looked at her, and they both started laughing. He kissed her hair and she shifted so as to be more comfortable, and then sighed.

"Well, no one said that this was going to be easy." Draco reminded her. "We always knew that this was going to happen when we got back to school."

"No body said it was easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard." Hermione hummed to herself.

"It doesn't matter, anyway." Draco told her. "I couldn't care less what they say."

"You're right." Hermione said, starting to shiver. Draco smirked at her. "What?" She said, smiling.

"Your lips are going blue." He told her, kissing them, and then standing up. "You'd better go back inside, I'll walk you back." He held his hands out to her and she took them, he deliberately pulled her up too hard so that she fell into him and kissed her again, making her feel a little giddy. "Come on."

"_Aunt," Hermione caught up with her Aunt on her way to the toilets. "Are you aware of whom they are?"_

"_Well aware, dear. The Malfoys have been great family friends for years." She said, pushing the double doors open to reveal a huge dressing room. She seated herself on one of the stools and took her niece's hand._

"_The Malfoys are dangerous, Aunt! I can't tell you why, but I know, you have to believe me." Hermione pleaded with her Aunt. "Especially to you and my Uncle." _

"_Why? Lucuis' father has been a friend of mine for years."_

"_But, you're a…" Hermione didn't finish her sentence._

"_A muggle dear?" Her Aunt nodded. Hermione's eyes grew wide with shock. "I most certainly am not, and neither is your mother." _

"_How…what?" Hermione asked, and her Aunt scowled._

"_That look of utter shock is unladylike, dear." She brought out a wand and used it to fish something out of her purse. "Watch." She brought out a garish orange lipstick, and wrinkled her nose. "Rosus." She muttered, the lipstick turned a shade of red that matched Hermione's dress._

"_What is this?" Hermione asked. Her Aunt sighed._

"_It was your mother's idea to keep you in the dark about this, dear, not mine. If it were my idea I would have you growing up in the wizarding world, but when you were born, your father was involved with You-Know-Who, and your mother didn't want you in danger." Her Aunt sighed. "Which turned out to be the right thing to do, seeing as your other identities were the only thing that really saved your father when that friend of yours Harry Potter destroyed the Dark Lord."_

"_Are you telling me my father was a death eater?" Hermione almost shouted, and her Aunt hissed for her to be quiet and nodded._

"_Your mother's and my maiden name is Bellatour. We are a powerful and ancient family of witches and wizards. Your grandfather was in You-Know-Who's inner circle."_

"_So you're trying to tell me that my grandfather, and my father, used to kill muggles for fun! And then my father became a muggle! It's irrational and impossible!" Hermione said, tears forming in her eyes. "My father would never do anything like that." _

"_Please understand dear, your parents are cut off from our world now, they really are to all intent and purposes muggle dentists." The last two words her aunt almost spat, but then she turned to Hermione and touched her cheek. "Try to understand. They loved you more then their powers, then wanted you to grow up free from danger, but they knew you had to grow up at some point. Just please, go back out to the table and be pleasant to your uncle and my friends. They really are good friends of ours, I'll tell you everything you want to know later." Hermione crossed her arms and glared at her aunt_

"_Why tell me now? Why pick this moment to tell me?" Her aunt shook her head._

"_Because The Dark Lord is dead, so it is safe to tell you. You're a headstrong girl and we didn't know how you would react."_

"_So why do I need to know anyway?" ._

"_He Who Must Not Be Named may be gone, but his ideals live on. It's only a matter of time before someone replaces him, you must carry on your families wishes when that happens, you must know."_

"_I won't side with evil!" Hermione shouted. "Never!"_

"_Well, you don't have to right now, we'll discuss this later. But for now, you must be nice to the Malfoys, they are great friends to your uncle and I."_

"_Fine, I'll make nice to the Malfoys, Helena_ _seems alright, anyway." Hermione conceded, she was shaken to the core, but she could see why her aunt decided to tell her in such a public place. Hermione was not one for scenes over anything in public. Her aunt touched her cheek._

"_Thank you, dear."_

Hermione sat in her Transfiguration lesson staring out of the window. Harry and Ron were on their usual table, completely ignoring her. Harry had made no attempt to talk to her after their little argument, and only Parvati was talking to her out of the whole of her year in Gryfindor. Parvati sat next to her and glared at Harry and Ron.

"I can't believe they still won't talk to you!" She said. Hermione sighed.

"I can. I can believe it entirely." Hermione said, sighing. "What I did, they'll never understand." She twisted her rings over and over on her finger. "I had a fight this morning with Ginny."

"I know." Parvati looked at her sympathetically. "I can't blame her."

"Neither can I, Ron is her brother, I'm surprised she didn't hate me from the start." Hermione said.

"Malfoy, Patil, will you please do some work?" McGonagall snapped, and the two got back to changing their stones into rabbits.

The lesson ended, and they packed up their things. Ron went to leave quickly, but Hermione grabbed his arm, holding him against his will and dragging him out into the corridor.

"Get off me, Malfoy." Ron hissed, saying her name with all the hatred he used when referring to her husband.

"We need to talk, Ron." Hermione sighed. "I'm going crazy without talking to you."

"I'm going crazy in general." Ron laughed and paced the corridor. "I can't believe Malfoy stole my girl."

"Will you just shut up about that!" Hermione snapped, Ron looked bewildered.

"Why? It's a hot topic in school."

"Ron…"

"No, Malfoy. What do you want me to say? I loved you!" He shouted at her, and she came close to tears.

"Please, stop it."

"No? You wanted to talk, let's talk." Ron paced the corridor again. "Why'd you do it? When did you fall out of love with me."

"I…" She stopped, tears choking her words.

"Well, there you go, you've finished talking, then, haven't you?" He stalked off.

"I didn't." She whispered, watching his retreating back.


	5. Chapter 5

Right, next chapter. A bit more about what happened over the summer now; I think there will be a lot more now, because I want to get it out of the way. Thank you for the reviews, please keep reviewing, it does make me so happy to think that people are enjoying my stories. The past is in italics.

Chapter Five 

Hermione sat in McGonagall's office, and Snape glared at her from the second teacher's seat that had been conjured up. The three sat in silence until the forth member of the meeting arrived.

When Draco did arrive, he looked around, saw Hermione, and made his way over, taking the seat next to hers.

"Now that we are all here." McGonagall coughed. "I have received some letters from your parents," she nodded to Draco, "and your aunt." She looked to Hermione. "They all express a wish for you to be moved in together in one of the dormant apartments we have around the castle. As you are married, we have seen fit to arrange this." Hermione and Draco looked at each other, and nodded silently. Snape sneered, but said nothing.

"Your rooms are now in the west wing of the castle, no where near Gryfindor tower or Slytherin dungeon." McGonagall said. "You are to pack your things and bring them to the fourth corridor, where you will be directed to your new rooms. Off you go."

The two exited the room and looked at each other, Draco smirked.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"It's just funny that we get married, and then move in together." He grinned at her, and placed his hand on her hips. "At least you won't have to go near any of the Gryfindors at night times." His grin became a little toothier. "You can stay with me."

"Yes." Hermione said. "I'll be glad to have some space from them."

"Go and get your stuff, I'll meet you there." He gripped her hands, and then walked away towards the dungeons.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked coldly, leaning on the doorframe into the seventh year girl's dormitory.

"McGonagall is moving me." She told her, looking around the room she will miss dearly.

"Where?" Ginny warmed up immediately in the face of loosing her friend.

"At the request of our parents," Hermione stressed that the idea was not hers, so as not to hurt her friend, "Draco and I are moving in together."

"I see." Ginny watched her pack her clothes. "Can I come visit?"

"Of course." Hermione smiled at her. Ginny smiled back and ran to her friend and they embraced one another.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Ginny said earnestly.

"I know. Ron's your brother, I completely understand. I hate myself for doing this to him." Hermione closed the trunk and placed a sleepy Crookshanks on the top.

Hermione levitated her packed trunk through the door and down the stairs. Everyone in the common room looked up at her as she moved her things.

"Leaving school, Malfoy?" Someone shouted nastily in the corner. Hermione said nothing. She walked quickly to the portrait hole.

"Where are you going, 'Mione?" A voice asked as she stalked the corridor. She turned to see Ron watching her.

"I'm leaving the common room." She told him, placing her trunk on the floor. "McGonagall thought it would be best, seeming as you all hate me." She told herself not to be weak and resort to tears again.

"I don't hate you, Hermione." Ron told her. "I just… You…"

"I know. You hate my family."

"They aren't your family." Ron protested. Hermione saw the anger and horror in his eyes when she suggested that, and let out a world weary sigh. How would he ever understand what she had done?

"They are now." Hermione said, sadly, but firmly. "They actually are my family. Lucius Malfoy is my father-in-law." She turned from him, levitating her trunk again. "You're the one that made me choose between my family and my friends, Ron, never forget that." She shut her eyes, and began to walk away from him again. He said nothing, but she could feel his eyes on her back as she left.

Draco turned as she entered the corridor, and smiled shyly at her. She came to a stop next to him, and he touched her arm. Crookshanks jumped from his position on top of Hermione's trunk into Draco's arms, he petted the cat and it purred. McGonagall arrived a minute after Hermione did.

"Ah, I see you are both here." McGonagall said briskly. "Come along." She led them to a painting of a married couple on their wedding day, and behind McGonagall's back, Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione, who giggled silently. "The password is 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia', but I'm sure you will want to change that." She looked at the two of them.

"How about we change it to 'Clara'?" Draco said, with a small smile at Hermione, who nodded.

"Right, fine. Password changio 'Clara'." McGonagall waved her arms over the picture, and the two in the painting smiled at each other, the painting swinging forwards. "Inside with the two of you." The levitated their trunks inside and found a decent sized room with a fireplace, a small kitchen, a bookcase and some sofas and a table and chairs. Crookshanks jumped from Draco's arms and curled up on a chair next to the fire. "The bedroom" – McGonagall looked disapprovingly at the offending door- "is through there, and the bathroom is that way. You will be expected to go downstairs to eat, but you don't have to, as a kitchen has been included." She looked back at them. "I will see you in class tomorrow." With that she left.

"Well." Draco said as he looked around. "It's nice." He strolled over to the bedroom door and opened the door, looking in. "It's very nice." He smirked, and pointed his wands at their trunks, bringing them into the room and placing them at the foot of the double bed. Hermione walked into the room and rolled her eyes at his expression.

"What were you expecting?" She asked, and his grin grew wider, as he advanced on her, so that she was between him and the bed.

"I was expecting a place to be …alone with my wife. And," in a swift movement he pounced on her, making her fall backwards on the bed and landing on top of her, "that is exactly what I got." He said into her ear, kissing her on the cheek, and then moving to her neck. Hermione giggled, and pushed a slightly disappointed Draco off of her, standing up.

"Will you be serious?" She asked, he lay on the bed and pouted at her.

"I was being serious." He told her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shouldn't we unpack first?" She opened her trunk. Draco brought out his wand and flicked it. His trunk burst open and clothes streamed out of both of their trunks, flying into the allotted wardrobes and chest of drawers that had been provided.

"All unpacked." He concluded, kneeling up on the bed and grabbing her by her robes and pulling her in to him. "Time to be serious." He mumbled in her ear, and she sighed.

"Draco." Hermione said, and he stopped caressing her neck and looked her in the eyes, concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and she sighed again, sitting next to him. He shifted so he was sitting too.

"Ron called out to me as I was leaving the common room. He said he didn't hate me." She told him.

"That's a good thing, isn't it? He's one of your best friends." Draco touched her hair, and she smiled. Draco understood that she needed Ron and Harry. He didn't judge her on it; he didn't look angry and horrified at the suggestion. She wondered what she would ever do without him now.

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to realise who I am now. It just struck me, he's a Weasley, and I'm a Malfoy. We can't be friends anymore. His parents will never welcome me, we're on different sides." He played with her fingernails, and Draco sighed.

"It's true; you and he can't go back to the way you were. His family and mine have been battling even before the Dark Lord came to power."

"I know, but now he's destroyed..." Hermione looked at him, but he shook his head.

"Another will take his place, Hermione. Both my family and yours will be by their side. Our ancestors made blood oaths, with the blood that runs through our veins as well. It's not fair, I know, but we've both joined a side, even without getting involved; I mean Weasley's not exactly going to welcome me with open arms at dinner parties, is he?" Draco smiled. "I mean, I have tried to not get into fights with him, for your sake, I've just avoided him."

"Why does it have to be that way?" Hermione asked.

"Because it just…has to." Draco told her. "There may possibly be a time when we have to fight him." There was silence for a few minutes. "Do you regret it?" Hermione looked up.

"What?" Draco looked her in the eyes and repeated his question.

"Do you regret it? I mean, would you rather-"

"No." Hermione shook her head and place her hands on his cheeks. "No, well, I did, before, I thought, but now… No, Draco, I don't regret this," she took his left hand "at all." She kissed him, and he pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. "You've been my life raft in this crazy mess." Hermione told him, and he smiled, kissing her again.

"_Morning, Hermione." Her aunt opened the curtains to her hotel room. "Did you sleep well?"_

"_No." Hermione told her. She had been tossing and turning all night, having nightmares about her father serving under Voldemort. She also had a dream that Ron and Harry found out and Ron fell out of love with her…_

"_Aww, well I'm sure you'll recover at breakfast, dear." She said, sitting on the end of her bed. Hermione sighed. "That Draco is a nice boy." She added, looking at Hermione oddly._

"_Yes." Hermione agreed, tired of the endless fight she had had with her Aunt the night before._

"_Well, as Lucuis and your uncle have a lot to discuss, and Narcissa and I have to take young Helena_ _shopping for her recital when she gets back to England. She's going to be in your school next term, didn't you know? Anyway, Narcissa and I were thinking that maybe you and Draco should spend some time together." Hermione sat up._

"_What?" She almost shouted, her aunt hissed for her to be quiet._

"_He really is a charming boy, I'm sure you'll grow to like him, in time."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, suspiciously._

"_Nothing dear, I just mean that you could get to know and like him, you never know."_

"_I know I'll never grow to like him." Hermione answered stubbornly._

"_We shall see." Her Aunt said._

Hermione snapped awake, sitting up with a gasp. Draco moved beside her as his arm slipped off her in her panic.

"What is it?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow.

"I…just had a nightmare."

"About your father?" Draco asked seriously, his eyebrows furrowed. Hermione nodded. Draco reached up and held her, and she lay back into his arms, and he kissed her temple. "I know this is still weird for you." He told her. "There's nothing I can say to make this better, is there?" Hermione shook her head. "I'm here for you; I'm not going to leave you." He told her.

"Is that true, though?" She asked, turning so she was facing him. He nodded.

"Yes." He kissed her nose and she smiled.

"Even if The New Dark Lord calls you to arms?" Hermione asked, and Draco watched her.

"I'm not a Death Eater yet." He told her, and she gripped his arm.

"I know, and I'm glad that you're not, because it would be weird." She told him. "But when you are, will you leave."

"Well, yes I would have to; there is a blood oath to consider. If I didn't we would always be on the run, our children would be hunted their entire lives, and their children, and their children's children. But the new heir may not rise for a long, long time." He told her, and she sighed, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.

"Everything is so strange." She said mournfully.

"Yes, it is." Draco admitted. "I'm glad this is working, though." He told her.

"Me too." She looked at him and he smiled, kissing her, rolling her on to her back.

"At least this isn't strange." He said.

"_Well, this is strange." Draco said as they passed through the doors of the hotel, after saying goodbye to the adults and Helena. "I knew you were my age, and possibly at Hogwarts, but Granger, I'd have never guessed it was you." He smiled at her. "What do you want to do?"_

"_What?" Hermione snapped. "Why aren't you insulting me?" Draco looked confusedly at her._

"_Why would I insult you?" Hermione threw her arms up in exasperation._

"_Because I'm the stupid Mudblood know-it-all bitch you've hated for six years?" She replied._

"_You're not a Mudblood." Draco told her, furrowing his eyebrows. "I thought you were told that?"_

"_I was, but that doesn't change the fact that you hate me!" She told him._

"_Doesn't it?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. "After all, blood is blood, Granger."_

"_What, so just because it turns out my parents are friends of your parents, I'm in?"_

"_Look, Granger." He sighed, as if trying to explain something to someone very small. "The world of the more powerful pure blood families," he said this in a way which made Hermione think that Ron and his family didn't apply, "is a mine field of politics and relations. Especially since…" Hermione knew the end of the sentence, even though he didn't say it – 'Especially since Voldemort was destroyed.' He continued. "The Bellatours and the Malfoys have always been friends, and it is important that we carry this on to the next generation." Draco shrugged. "Like I said, blood is blood. I apologise for my behaviour towards you, I'd have never thought your parents would send you to Hogwarts thinking you were a muggle born. And it would never have occurred to me that you would be put in Gryffindor." He shook his head._

"_You act like you knew about me." She said suspiciously._

"_That's because I did. I was told that a girl from the Bellatour family would be at Hogwarts with me." Hermione sighed angrily._

"_This is ridiculous." She said._

"_True, but as it is we have a whole day to spend together." He opened the door of the car for her, and she climbed in, he nodded to the driver. "What do you want to do?"_

"Draco…" Hermione cooed in his ear, and he frowned, mumbling in his sleep. "Come on, Draco." He blew in his ear, and he closed his eyes tightly, and she smiled, blowing softly again. "Time to get up, Draco." Slowly he opened his eyes, and looked up at her.

"Hermione?" She nodded, and he looked around, realising where he was, and he turned back to her. She smiled at him.

"Morning, sleepy." He kissed her on the forehead.

"Morning, love." Her smile decreased a little as he called her by his pet name, and then she stood, fully dressed already.

"Breakfast is soon." She told him. "Get changed." She left the room.

"_I have to say, I had fun." Draco admitted as they walked back to the car. "Even if mini golf isn't something I'd usually do." He looked over to Hermione and grinned. She smiled back._

"_I had fun too. It's odd; I never pegged you as someone who would even think about playing mini golf."_

"_I wouldn't have pegged you as a mini golf person, either." He returned, and they looked at each other and laughed. They climbed into the car, and Draco directed the driver to take them to a restaurant for lunch. Then he stared out of the window. Hermione watched him subtly from her vantage point. One morning as his friend had shattered her illusions about the boy. He was funny, and sometimes even sweet. It seems he had barriers against his enemies that blocked her from his side of him before. She turned back to the window with a silly smile on her face, and didn't notice as he turned his head to look at her._

Hermione and Draco walked to the Great Hall in silence. They had found this happy medium of silence truce useful, and were comfortable with the lack of communication.

Once they reached the Great Hall, Hermione took her leave of her husband and sat on her own in the Gryfindor camp, as far away as possible from Ron and Harry. Ginny looked at her sadly, but made no attempt to move closer to her. Hermione made herself some cereal and then twiddled her spoon in her cereal miserably. After around three mouthfuls, she stood and left the table again.

_In the evening, Hermione wore a beautiful blue dress with matching shoes to dinner. Her Aunt oversaw the details on her, making sure that the hotel staff had place the correct jewellery on her and that he make up was flawless, and then they walked to the restaurant. Hermione keeping her stony silence all the way to the table._

_Draco stood as the ladies reached the table, and pulled out a chair for Hermione, at the same time her Uncle pulled one out for her Aunt. She smiled graciously at him and sat down, and he took his seat next to her._

"_So, how did you enjoy Las Vegas?" He asked her. Hermione could feel her Aunt's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head as she answered._

"_It is very exciting, I haven't really been to a place like this before." The conversation was free and easy. She had never thought she would feel this comfortable sitting next to Draco Malfoy, but now she knew that her parents had sided with Voldemort, she felt an affinity with him she had never felt before._

"_Well, you will be most surprised when we go to New York_ _next week." He told her, lifting his glass to her. "You look amazing by the way." He smiled at him._

"_As do you." He grinned._

"_You don't have to jest, I was being serious." _

"_As was I." She countered and he laughed. The meal progressed lightly and everyone enjoyed themselves. After the meal, Draco leant forward and whispered into Hermione's ear._

"_Meet me outside in ten minutes." He looked into her eyes and she nodded. Then he stood, turned to the table and inclined his head. "I must take my leave now, thank you for the enjoyable dinner and I will see you all in the morning." The five others around the table, who had noticed the exchange, bid him goodnight and he left. Five minutes later, Hermione also took her leave, and left the table amongst approving looks from her Aunt, Uncle and Draco's parents._

Hermione walked over to Hagrid's cabin for her Care of Magical Creatures lesson. She was early; in fact she was about 10 minutes early, having left the Great Hall extremely early. She didn't care; there was no one to bother her here. Whilst she was standing in the cold, Hagrid came out of his hut.

"Hermione, what're yer doing here so early?" He asked her, with a frown on his face. "Come in before you catch yer death." He ushered her into his cabin and she sat down in the armchair by the table. "Where are Ron and Harry?"

"They aren't speaking to me." Hermione told him.

"Ah, well, yes, I can understand tha'." Hagrid shifted uncomfortably.

"Can you?" Hermione asked dryly.

"Well, you did, well, yer know…"

"Yes, yes, marry the enemy. That's all I've been hearing out of anybody these days. No one really wants to talk to me anymore. I'm not Hermione anymore, I'm Malfoy's wife. The only person that will talk to me these days is my darling husband!" The last sentence was dripping in sarcasm. Hagrid shifted a little, and then sat down. Fang came over and sniffed at Hermione's rings, and then went to his bed in the corner. Hermione sighed.

"So what's Malfoy like?" Hagrid asked. Hermione looked up.

"What?"

"Well, you know, when yer on his good side so to speak." Hagrid coughed. Hermione smiled at him.

"He's…sweet, and caring and just, supportive." Hermione told him.

"Really?" Hagrid asked, astonished. Hermione nodded.

"He really, truly cares about me. That's what Ron and Harry refuse to see."

"Yer can't be blaming them for that, Hermione." Hagrid looked at her sternly. "Malfoy's done nothing to show them that he's not all bad."

"I know, I know. That's what's so frustrating." Hermione sighed. "The amount of stuff they won't know, or can't know. It all just circulates until even I'm confused."

"What're you talking about?" Hermione looked up at him.

"Nothing." She said. Hagrid looked at her oddly.

"You know who Malfoy's parents are, Hermione. In this time of uncertainty, well, the Malfoys are on the other side to us, Hermione. Where does that put you? That's what I'm worried about."

"That puts me on neither side. It puts me with Draco." She said stubbornly. "Draco and his family know about my position."

"His parents' know?" Hagrid's brow furrowed. Hermione nodded.

"They even approve of the match, if you can figure that one out." She looked out of the window. "Everyone is arriving." She said, and Hagrid looked confused for a moment, then realised.

"O'course. The lesson, well, come on, outside with yer." He ushered her outside, to the incoming Slytherins and Gryfindors.

"_You and Draco seem to be getting on well." Hermione's Aunt said._

"_Yes, we are, Aunt Clara." Hermione said, smiling to herself. She was racked with guilt, thinking about Ron, but she couldn't help but enjoy herself. On the way to New York_ _they had talked non stop. All her opinions of him changed, it was surreal to be looking forward to seeing him again. Helena_ _was sweet too; she and Draco had a relationship akin to that of siblings that made Hermione's heart melt. The night before they had walked all around the city, experiencing the raw excitement of Vegas, and she had not had much sleep that night._

"_Ah, well, all the better." Her aunt told her. Hermione's suspicions were tweaked again. _

"_What does that mean?" Her Aunt just smiled._

"_You'll see."_

"Hermione?" A hand waved in front of her face and she woke up from the memory. Draco stood there, looking confused. "You've been spacing out a lot recently. Are you alright?" She smiled and nodded. The bell rang out over the grounds.

"Right, well, finish yer class work and hand it in next lesson!" Hagrid boomed at them as they packed their things and left. Ron threw Hermione a dirty look and Draco glared at him, pulling Hermione into his side and wrapping his arm around her, Ron looked away.

"I have to talk to him at some point." Hermione told him. Draco nodded.

"I know, I just wish he'd stop being so hostile. D'you think I should try and talk to him?" Hermione laughed.

"No. Anything you say or do anywhere near him will start a sequence of events that will get you both expelled." A look of distress touched her face, but then she smiled and rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "Then I'll be Draco-less for the rest of the year." She pouted and Draco laughed.

"Well, we can't have that." He grinned at her. Hermione smiled back.

"No, we couldn't have that." She parroted, watching Ron's retreating back.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six 

"You have to talk to her sometime." Harry said to Ron, and he stared into the fire.

"I know." Ron told him. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Whatever." Harry said. There was an awkward silence. Nights in the common room just weren't the same without Hermione curled up on the armchair reading a book. They both looked to the corner she usually occupied, then looked away. Ron sighed.

"We should really talk to her tomorrow." Ron resolved. "We can't just write her out of our lives. Perhaps she is in trouble and can't tell us. I think we should at least give her a chance to explain herself, we've been through so much together."

"Yeah, me too." Harry agreed. They nodded to each other and then sat in silence some more.

"_Granger, what are you doing?" Draco lounged on the bench, smirking up at her. She was standing on a wall on one foot, breathing in and out deeply with her eyes shut._

"_Mental exercises." She said._

"_More like exercises for the mental." He shook his head, and she opened one eye and shot him a dangerous look._

"_I heard that, Malfoy." _

"_You were supposed to, Granger." He looked around the park. It was a hot day, and Helena_ _was sun bathing, and the adults were walking around in deep conversation._

"_Be quiet, will you, I'm centring my chi." Draco smirked at her, and then stood up. He grabbed her legs and she squealed as he lifted her._

"_What are you doing you jerk?" _

"_I'm helping." He told her, and he walked over to the duck pond. "All those mental exercises must be exhausting, I'll cool you off." _

"_Don't you dare!" She wriggled, but he held tight._

"_Was that a dare, Granger?"_

"_NO!" Hermione screamed, and he smirked, walking until he was knee high in the duck pond._

"_In you go." He dunked her and she screamed, grabbing onto him and pulling him under too. "Granger!" They both emerged, soaking wet and in helpless laughter._

"_It was your idea!" She said, and he grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him._

"_Yeah, well." He splashed her and she screamed, splashing him back, the water fight continued until they were breathless and then they both crawled out of the pond, laughing helplessly as they struggled to be the first one onto dry land. They ended up falling over each other and landing in a pile._

_The adults watched approvingly._

"_They seemed to have taken a shine to each other." Lucius said. Clara rolled her eyes._

"_I told you they would, as soon as her position was sorted out." Clara clicked her tongue. "Muggle born indeed."_

"_A regrettable turn of events that she made friends with whom she did." Narcissa commented. Clara looked at her and nodded._

"_True, but things can't be perfect, now, can they?"_

"_No." They watched the two struggle to stand, whilst pushing the other to the ground._

Hermione curled up in a chair by the fire, pretending to read a book. Crookshanks sat on her lap, purring.

Draco played with his quill, parchment sitting in front of him on the table.

"Get on with your homework Draco." Hermione told him.

"I am, I am, it's just so boring…"

"You can't go to bed until you get it done, though, can you, Malfoy?" Hermione looked up at him with a half smile.

"No." He grinned back. "I'd better get it done, then, Malfoy." She yawned and got out of her chair, stretching.

"That's the great thing about not having any friends. No distractions from homework." Draco looked up and pouted at her.

"Aren't I enough of a distraction by myself?" He asked. Hermione shook her head and messed up his hair, earning herself a grin.

"Of course you are, darling." She told him, and then patted him on the head.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not being sincere?" He asked, pulling her into his lap.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not finishing your homework?" She said, looking over at his work. "I'd say you've still got a foot to go." She turned back to him. "See ya later." She stood and walked away into the bedroom with her book, leaving a frustrated Draco to get on with his work.

_Hermione giggled as Draco fell off of the wall he was balancing on._

"_That wasn't funny, Granger." He told her. She raised an eyebrow at him and walked up the path a little._

"_Beg to differ, Malfoy." _

"_Hey! Come back!" He said, and when she didn't return, he walked quickly to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"_

"_For a walk." She told him, and he grinned._

"_Alright, come on then." He led her up a different path._

"_Where are we going?"_

"_For a walk." He mimicked her tone and she rolled her eyes, following him. He found a bench next to the river that ran through the city, and flopped onto it. He patted the bench next to him. "Come on Granger, I won't bite." He told her, and she sat. "Much."_

"_You know, you're different then I thought you were." She told him. _

"_So are you." He told her. They both dissolved into fits of giggles._

"_I think you must be nicer in America."_

"_I think you are prettier in America." He returned, earning himself a glare._

"_Take that back!" She told him, and he nodded._

"_Okay, I take it back; I think you are pretty all over." He said and she pushed him away. "Oh, come on Granger, I was being serious!"_

"_Oh, shut it, Malfoy." She told him. "Ferrets just can't lie well."_

"_I'm not lying, Hermione." He said, sliding closer to her. "I like you in America." Before she knew what he was doing, he kissed her. The gesture delighted her for a second, and she returned his affections, but after a second, she tried to push him away, but he pre-empted her and ran his hands over her back, pulling her into him, making her weak to resist him._

"_No." She said, pushing him hard in the chest. "I can't."_

"_Why not?" Draco cocked his head and smiled at her. "No one's about."_

"_I am Ron's girlfriend." She told him and he shook his head._

"_What he doesn't know won't hurt him, Granger." Draco traced her jaw line with his finger. "There's no one here to watch us, no one would know. It can be our secret." He leaned into her._

"_I'd know, and I can't keep secrets!" Hermione said, standing up. She left the boy, and he stared into the river. "It will never happen, Draco."_

Hermione watched Draco sleep. The slight sheen of sweat on his forehead gave him an almost ethereal glow as he quietly snored, his arms wrapped possessively around her. She instinctively pressed herself to him, and he responded by shifting closer, making it easier for her to move closer. Silently, she wept into his chest.

"_There is something I must tell you." Hermione's aunt woke her from her guilt racked thoughts about the kiss. She'd imagined herself apologising to Ron a thousand times, but having to start over, because, under the surface, she just wasn't sorry for it…_

"_What, Aunt Clara?" Hermione looked up. She'd mused for hours about her situation. She wasn't the same as Ron and Harry. They would find out about her father, they would know soon enough, and then what would she do?_

"_It's about you and Draco." She told her. Hermione looked up, did she know?_

"_What about me and Draco?" She asked innocently. Her Aunt sat on the sofa of their suite._

"_Well, when your mother was at Hogwarts, she attracted the attention of two men. You father, and Lucius Malfoy."_

"_Seriously?" Hermione asked, her aunt nodded._

"_She obviously went for your father, and was happy in her choice, but…" Aunt Clara said this quickly, but said the next words more slowly. "The relations between their family and ours have been complication, much more so since The Dark Lord was defeated. Lucius was angry that your mother didn't want him, so our parents made a decision," she sighed, "when you were a baby, and Draco was also an infant, you became betrothed."_

"_WHAT?" Hermione shouted, her Aunt closed her eyes and held up her hand._

"_Yes, you and Draco are to be married."_

"_You can't do that to me!" Hermione said. "I love Ron Weasley!" Her aunt made a face._

"_A Weasley!" Her aunt shuddered, her hand placed weakly on her forehead. "Your parents must be suffering intensely. No, it will not do for a Bellatour to go off with a Weasley. You will marry Draco."_

"_I'm not a Bellatour! I'm a Granger, and Granger's can do whatever they want!" Her aunt sighed and waved her hand._

"_You're a descendant of the Bellatour family, and as such you must do your duty to your family and marry who you are told to. It is non negotiable. You will marry him next week."_

"_Next week!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why so soon? I am too young to be married! You could have told me sooner."_

"_What would have been the point?" Her Aunt asked. "You will be married, and that is that, it's not like I am asking you to join the Death Eaters, although an obvious lack of support would be dangerous." She looked at her niece pointedly. "It will not be long before his heir comes to start the second war. You must be married before that happens." She sighed. "Look, you will have an engagement dinner alone with him tonight, and we will start to arrange your wedding in the morning." She stood. "Go and prepare, I will check on you later."_

Hermione woke up to find Draco sitting up, reading a book. She blinked in the light filtering through the window and stretched.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Too early to think about moving." He told her. She sighed in relief, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed yet. She mumbled a little and shifted a little away from Draco, making use of the space. Draco yawned, and lay back down, warming his torso under the covers.

"It is cold in October." He said. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really?" She said sarcastically. He grinned and wrapped his freezing arms around her warm body, making her squeal.

"You're all nice and warm, though, my little wife." He said, kissing her shoulder.

"Get off!" She squealed, squirming ineffectually in his strong embrace.

"Why? You're warm, I'm not, share the body heat, Granger." He used her maiden name affectionately. "Unless you want to make some more heat?" He raised his eyebrow, and she shook her head at his blatant come on.

"Not whilst you're that cold, Malfoy." She bit her lip. "I like my men hot." She winked at him, mimicking his bluntness.

"Really?" He said. "I'll just stay like this for a while, then, I'll warm up in no time." Hermione shivered from the cold radiating from his arms. She sighed, and leaned into him, the cold not completely negating the comfort of having him so close to her.

"I think we better get moving soon." She said. He pouted.

"I was just getting warm."

"Well, you can go and hug a mug of hot chocolate."

"I thought I already was." Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed him away, climbing out of the bed and dressing. Draco watched her from the bed. She threw a shirt at him.

"Change." She instructed him, and then left the room.

_Hermione walked into the restaurant with mixed feelings. She had tolerated, and even enjoyed, her time with Draco recently, finding he was not as bad as she had once thought, but to marry him? It was absurd, what would Harry and Ron say to her predicament?_

_Draco watched her arrive from the table, and then pulled her seat out for her, as he had done before. Hermione smiled and sat down, shifted uncomfortably in her chair whilst he sat in his. An awkward silence claimed them._

"_So, your Aunt has spoken to you, then?" He asked politely. Hermione said nothing, but nodded. He nodded also. "My mother told me a few days ago."_

"_What?" Hermione looked at him astonished. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_Draco shrugged. "I was told not to." He told her. _

"_So, when you kissed me yesterday, you already knew?" She asked him, and he nodded. "I see." She glared at the table cloth, wondering how foolish she could feel. "So you thought, 'hey, I'm gonna be stuck her, so I might as well get something out of it.'"_

"_Hermione, don't be that way." He told her, touching her hand. "Don't make this harder then it already is."_

"_How can it be any harder, Draco? How can I marry you? How can you marry me? We may be getting on now, but what about school? What are people going to say?" Draco sighed._

"_I don't know." He said. "But it'll sure be a surprise to everyone." He grinned._

"_Yeah, especially my boyfriend." Hermione muttered. Draco shook his head._

"_Don't you see? You and Ron are on different sides of the war now. Voldemort may be gone for now, but another will take his place. You'll have to pick a side when that day comes."_

"_I am NOT siding with Voldemort!" She told him. "Just because my family did, doesn't mean I have to!" Draco sighed again._

"_Why fight what's going to happen? We're to be wed." He told her. "Can we at least enjoy this?" _

"_ENJOY this? How can you be so calm about this? They're taking our lives away from us!" Draco shrugged._

"_I've never really had any choice in my life anyway, I generally do what my parents tell me, always have done."_

"_That's horrible!" Hermione said, softening her voice._

"_You get used to it." Draco told her._

"_They can't do this to us!" Hermione said, clenching her fist. She stood up and began to walk away._

"_Wait." He got up and grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"_

"_Away from this ridiculous proceeding." She yanked her arm away. "I can't do this! This is an engagement dinner for an engagement that is not going to happen! I refuse to be engaged just because my aunt tells me to be." She left him standing in the middle of the restaurant._

"Are you alright?" Lavender tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "You've been spacing for the entire lesson." Hermione blinked and woke up from her dream, turning around and smiling at her friend.

"Fine, just tired." Lavender grinned.

"I'll bet, with your new sleeping arrangements, you lucky bitch." She winked and Hermione wrinkled her forehead.

"What?" Realisation hit her, "oh, of course. Yeah, something like that." She said to amuse her friend. Turning to the front of the class, she saw Professor Binns was still droning on in his monotone voice. She returned to her notes, but soon after the bell rang and she blinked, then packed up her things, preparing to find somewhere to spend lunch.

"Hermione?" She heard a sheepish voice from behind her say. She turned to find Harry and Ron standing there, shuffling their feet. "Hermione, can we talk?"

"Is this a joke?" She asked, suspiciously, the boys shook their heads.

"We really want to talk to you." Ron said. Hermione looked at their expressions, and then nodded.

"Okay, let's go." Hermione picked up her bag and they followed her out of the classroom. As she walked out into the hall, she saw Draco coming towards the classroom, coming to save her from her classmates, when he saw Harry and Ron he smiled at her and turned around, leaving before Harry and Ron spied him.

"So, how have you been?" Harry asked as they wandered the corridors the way they used to.

"Alright I suppose." Hermione replied. "How have you been?"

"Oh, the usual." Harry told her a little too casually. Ron remained silent. "How's married life treating you?" Hermione took a second to analyse his tone, and then answered.

"Can't really complain. He hasn't turned into a wife beater or anything." She shrugged. It didn't feel weird to be married to Draco anymore, but it certainly was strange to talk to Harry and Ron about it. It was like the two parts of her life didn't mesh together, and even though she was comfortable talking to Draco about her friends, she didn't like talking to them about him. She guessed she'd have to at some point.

"That great, huh?" Ron interjected. His indifferent tone hurt her, he seemed to have gone from hating her to just not caring. There was a gulf between them, one she felt acutely. What they didn't know was, one day, the war would start again, but this time she'd have switched sides…

"He's alright once you get to know him, you know." The boys snorted, but Hermione didn't pick them up on it, as she was not expecting them to accept him right away. "He's cares about me." She concluded, and they fell into silence.

"Do you want to go see Hagrid?" Harry suggested, and the others agreed. They turned around and went out into the cold October air. Hagrid welcomed them with a big grin and ushered them all into his cabin.

Their visit to Hagrid was short and uncomfortable. They sat and he made tea and they tried to talk about the things they usually talked about, but it was all wrong.

In silence Harry and Ron walked Hermione to her rooms. She opened the portrait, and Draco looked up from his position by the fire, reading a book. A purring Crookshanks lay on his lap on his back.

"Hello." He said. Harry nodded to him awkwardly, Ron looked away.

"Erm…" Hermione broke the silence. "I enjoyed our afternoon together." Hermione said. "I'm glad we're able to work around...this." She said. Harry and Ron said nothing, but kept their eyes on Malfoy, who had gone back to reading his book. "Speak tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, we'll speak tomorrow." Harry told her, grasping her hand. He smiled at her, glanced at Draco and then turned around.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Ron told her, before following his friend.

Once the portrait was shut, Draco snapped his book shut, shooed Crookshanks from his lap and jumped up.

"That sounded good." Draco told her. "So they're talking to you again." Hermione sighed.

"I guess so." She said, sinking into an armchair. "They don't seem to still hate me, but they don't seem to really like me, either."

"I really don't know what to say." Draco told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. She rested her head on his hand.

"Neither do I." Hermione told him.


End file.
